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While assessing an acutely ill patients respiratory rate, the nurse assesses four normal breaths followed by an episode of apnea lasting 20 seconds. How should the nurse document this finding?
- A. Eupnea
- B. Apnea
- C. Biots respiration
- D. Cheyne-Stokes
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The nurse will document that the patient is demonstrating a Biots respiration pattern. Biots respiration is characterized by periods of normal breathing (three to four breaths) followed by varying periods of apnea (usually 10 seconds to 1 minute). Cheyne-Stokes is a similar respiratory pattern, but it involves a regular cycle where the rate and depth of breathing increase and then decrease until apnea occurs. Biots respiration is not characterized by the increase and decrease in the rate and depth, as characterized by Cheyne-Stokes. Eupnea is a normal breathing pattern of 12 to 18 breaths per minute. Bradypnea is a slower-than-normal rate (<10 breaths per minute), with normal depth and regular rhythm, and no apnea.
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The nurse is caring for a patient admitted with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. During assessment, the nurse finds that the patient is experiencing increased dyspnea. What is the most accurate measurement of the concentration of oxygen in the patients blood?
- A. A capillary blood sample
- B. Pulse oximetry
- C. An arterial blood gas (ABG) study
- D. A complete blood count (CBC)
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The arterial oxygen tension (partial pressure or PaO2) indicates the degree of oxygenation of the blood, and the arterial carbon dioxide tension (partial pressure or PaCO2) indicates the adequacy of alveolar ventilation. ABG studies aid in assessing the ability of the lungs to provide adequate oxygen and remove carbon dioxide and the ability of the kidneys to reabsorb or excrete bicarbonate ions to maintain normal body pH. Capillary blood samples are venous blood, not arterial blood, so they are not as accurate as an ABG. Pulse oximetry is a useful clinical tool but does not replace ABG measurement, because it is not as accurate. A CBC does not indicate the concentration of oxygen.
A patient has been diagnosed with heart failure that has not yet responded to treatment. What breath sound should the nurse expect to assess on auscultation?
- A. Expiratory wheezes
- B. Inspiratory wheezes
- C. Rhonchi
- D. Crackles
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Crackles reflect underlying inflammation or congestion and are often present in such conditions as pneumonia, bronchitis, and congestive heart failure. Rhonchi and wheezes are associated with airway obstruction, which is not a part of the pathophysiology of heart failure.
A medical patient rings her call bell and expresses alarm to the nurse, stating, Ive just coughed up this blood. That cant be good, can it? How can the nurse best determine whether the source of the blood was the patients lungs?
- A. Obtain a sample and test the pH of the blood, if possible.
- B. Try to see if the blood is frothy or mixed with mucus.
- C. Perform oral suctioning to see if blood is obtained.
- D. Swab the back of the patients throat to see if blood is present.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Though not definitive, blood from the lung is usually bright red, frothy, and mixed with sputum. Testing the pH of nonarterial blood samples is not common practice and would not provide important data. Similarly, oral suctioning and swabbing the patients mouth would not reveal the source.
The ED nurse is assessing a patient complaining of dyspnea. The nurse auscultates the patients chest and hears wheezing throughout the lung fields. What might this indicate?
- A. The patient has a narrowed airway.
- B. The patient has pneumonia.
- C. The patient needs physiotherapy.
- D. The patient has a hemothorax.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Wheezing is a high-pitched, musical sound that is often the major finding in a patient with bronchoconstriction or airway narrowing. Wheezing is not normally indicative of pneumonia or hemothorax. Wheezing does not indicate the need for physiotherapy.
The nurse is completing a patients health history with regard to potential risk factors for lung disease. What interview question addresses the most significant risk factor for respiratory diseases?
- A. Have you ever been employed in a factory, smelter, or mill?
- B. Does anyone in your family have any form of lung disease?
- C. Do you currently smoke, or have you ever smoked?
- D. Have you ever lived in an area that has high levels of air pollution?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Smoking is the single most important contributor to lung disease, exceeding the significance of environmental, occupational, and genetic factors.